Governor will finally speak to Senate

SPRINGFIELD - Gov. Rod Blagojevich is expected to make a personal, last-ditch appeal to stay in office today in the final moments of an impeachment trial he has repeatedly called "unfair" and "a sham."

Blagojevich asked Wednesday to make a closing argument before state senators who could vote this afternoon to remove the governor from office.

A Blagojevich spokesman would not comment on the situation and lawmakers said they have no idea what Blagojevich will say or do.

So far the governor and his legal team have boycotted the trial and Blagojevich instead opted to appear on national television shows. On those programs the governor repeatedly blasted the impeachment trial and said he wouldn't appear because "the fix is in."

At least one senator said it's probably too late for Blagojevich to make a difference. Even the governor has said he expects to be removed.

"Unfortunately, all the testimony was heard. The things we will consider, all that has taken place," said Sen. James Clayborne, a Belleville Democrat. "He had to put on evidence."

The Senate heard from the final four witnesses against the governor Wednesday.

The impeachment trial rules give the governor 90 minutes to make a closing argument. Senate officials said Blagojevich likely will not be sworn in beforehand and senators will not be allowed to ask him questions since this is a closing statement, not witness testimony.

House prosecutor David Ellis will get 60 minutes for a closing argument before the governor speaks and then 30 minutes to speak after the governor.

After closing arguments but before the final vote, each senator will be allowed to speak for five minutes. If all 59 senators choose to speak, the deliberations could take nearly five hours. The Senate would then proceed directly to a vote on whether to remove Blagojevich from office.

It's unknown whether Blagojevich will stay at the Capitol for the vote or whether he will fly in the state plane back to his home in Chicago while still governor. If the Senate removes Blagojevich, he will lose his access to state vehicles, including the plane.

A spokesman for the Democratic governor did not respond to repeated requests for information Wednesday.

At least 40 senators in the 59-member chamber must vote to remove the governor from office. Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn would then become governor. Quinn will be at the Capitol today.

The announcement Wednesday afternoon by Senate President John J. Cullerton that the governor is coming to Springfield led to surprised murmurs throughout the chamber.

"I'm just glad he's finally shown the people of the state enough respect to come back here and participate," said Sen. Matt Murphy, a Palatine Republican, during a break in witness testimony.

Murphy speculated Blagojevich might even use his statement to resign.

"If in his mind he thinks he's going to be removed from office, he may want to deny his foes - as he sees them - in the General Assembly the satisfaction of doing it," he said.

Others wish they could ask him what could be one final question.

"I would like, if I had my choice, to look him in the eye and just ask him, 'What went wrong? What happened?'" said state Sen. Susan Garrett, a Lake Forest Democrat. "But I, like so many others, am going to be on pins and needles just waiting to see what he's going to be delivering us. It could be anything."

On Wednesday afternoon, the House prosecutor put on its final witnesses against the governor.

Auditor General William Holland testified that in 2004 the governor deliberately violated state and federal laws when he ordered flu vaccine he knew could not be shipped to Illinois from a European supplier. The state was ultimately stuck with a $2.6 million bill after the Food and Drug Administration blocked the import.

Other witnesses testified the governor defied the will of the legislature by expanding the FamilyCare and All Kids state health insurance programs in 2007.

Earlier on Wednesday, the bipartisan spirit of cooperation that defined the impeachment trial so far began to show signs of cracking. Senate Republicans demanded more time to question witnesses while Cullerton urged senators to keep the trial moving forward.

Sen. Kirk Dillard, a Hinsdale Republican, insisted it was important to take as long as necessary.

"What's the hurry?" Dillard said. "I'll sit here on Super Bowl Sunday if I have to, to make sure the governor of this great state of Illinois gets a fair trial."

<div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Related links</h2> <ul class="moreWeb"> <li><a href="http://www.ilga.gov/senate/audvid.asp">State video stream of the impeachment trial</a></li> <li><a href="http://video.ap.org/?pid=R9msqOsYZ2TmkWttgWjBgV72_tYSs_Oh&f=ILARL">AP stream of impeachment trial</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.dailyherald.com/packages/2008/blagojevich/">Daily Herald's complete coverage of the impeachment</a></li> </ul> <h2>Audio</h2> <ul class="audio"> <li><a href="/multimedia/?category=4&type=audio&item=35">Blagojevich Tape 1 </a></li> <li><a href="/multimedia/?category=4&type=audio&item=36">Blagojevich Tape 2 </a></li> <li><a href="/multimedia/?category=4&type=audio&item=37">Blagojevich Tape 3 </a></li> <li><a href="/multimedia/?category=4&type=audio&item=38">Blagojevich Tape 4 </a></li> </ul> <h2>Related documents</h2> <ul class="morePdf"> <li><a href="/pdf/tape 1.pdf">Transcript of tape 1 </a></li> <li><a href="/pdf/tape 2.pdf">Transcript of tape 2 </a></li> <li><a href="/pdf/tape 3.pdf">Transcript of tape 3 </a></li> <li><a href="/pdf/tape 4.pdf">Transcript of tape 4 </a></li> </ul> <h2>Stories</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="/story/?id=267851"><b>Burt Constable:</b> Blago's hair makes a statement</a></li> <li><a href="http://blogs.dailyherald.com/node/1315">Blog: Impeachment Day 3 <span class="date">[01/28/09]</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>